Tree Service in Fort Myers, FL | McGregor Royals, Permits

Worker on a lift removing heavy fronds and seed pods from a royal palm in a Cape Coral front yard

Fort Myers is the City of Palms — the royal palms along McGregor Boulevard were planted beginning in the Edison era and run for miles toward the Cape Coral bridge — and the river city: the historic district downtown, the Edison and Ford estates, Whiskey Creek and the Villas with their 1960s–70s ranches, Dunbar, the Colonial Boulevard and Daniels corridors, and the newer Gateway and Colonial Country Club communities east toward I-75. Fort Myers grew from 86,000 in 2020 to more than 100,000 in 2025, and it's on FPL's grid rather than LCEC's. The trees are a step older and bigger than Cape Coral's: century live oaks over the downtown streets, seventy-foot royals, mature mahoganies and black olives in Whiskey Creek, and the same slash pines and Australian pines on the river lots.

Two things are different here. First, the City of Fort Myers does require a permit to remove native trees and to clear a lot — its own published list says so — where Cape Coral does not; we handle the application and the arborist documentation, and F.S. 163.045 still applies to a documented hazard tree on a residential lot. Second, the storms: Ian pushed eight feet of water up the Caloosahatchee past downtown, Milton put an EF-2 tornado through Fort Myers in October 2024 along with 78-mph gusts, and the city tallied $77 million in Milton damage alone. The McGregor royals and the downtown oaks are the trees everyone worries about before a storm and calls about after one.

What we do in Fort Myers

City of Fort Myers permits

Native-tree removal and lot-clearing permits filed with the arborist documentation; hazard-tree letters under F.S. 163.045.

Royal palm care

Seventy-foot royals on McGregor and the river streets cleaned of fifty-pound fronds by lift; royal palm bug and Ganoderma checks.

Historic live oaks

Preservation pruning and weight reduction on the century oaks downtown and in the historic district.

River-lot crane work

Big pines and Australian pines over river homes lifted out in sections.

Tornado and storm response

Milton's EF-2 track and Ian's surge zone; we document for adjusters and work in order of danger.

FPL coordination

Service-drop clearance behind FPL rather than LCEC in the city.

Neighborhoods and areas we cover

McGregor Boulevard
Downtown & the historic district
Whiskey Creek
The Villas
Dunbar
Colonial Boulevard corridor
Daniels Parkway
Gateway
Colonial Country Club
Edison Park
Seminole Park
Winkler Avenue area

Tree services available in Fort Myers

Questions from Fort Myers homeowners

Does Fort Myers require a permit to remove a tree?

For native species, yes — the city's own permit list names tree removal of native species and lot clearing as permitted work, with residential landscaping exempt. A dead or hazardous tree documented by an ISA arborist under F.S. 163.045 is the exception. We file the permit for you; Cape Coral across the bridge requires none.

Who trims the McGregor royals?

The ones in the median and the right-of-way are the city's. The royals on your lot are yours, and they need cleaning every spring — the fronds are ten feet long and up to fifty pounds.

How much does tree removal cost in Fort Myers?

The same ranges as the Cape: $200–$500 for a small tree, $500–$1,200 mid-size, $1,200–$2,500 for a big pine or oak, $2,500–$7,000 with a crane, plus the permit where one applies.

My live oak downtown lost a big limb in Milton. Is the tree finished?

Usually not — live oaks are the most storm-resistant tree in Florida. The wound needs a clean cut back to the collar and the crown needs balancing; the arborist checks the trunk for a crack. Most come through.

Nearby: Southeast Cape Coral · North Fort Myers · San Carlos Park, Iona & McGregor · Lehigh Acres · full service area

Tree service for Fort Myers — royal palms on McGregor, live oaks downtown, and a city that does require a permit